Graphic recorder.



H. FALTERMAYER & (I. B THWINGI GRAPHIC RECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, I913.

1,137,596. l'zli'vmvd Apr. 3T. EH15 Unrrnn srn'rns PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY FALTE RMAYER AND CHARLES E.

THWING, OF- PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THWING- INSTRUMENT COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORIQRATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GRAPHIC RECORDER.

memes.

To-all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARRY FALTERMAYER and CHARLES B. Tnwnvo, both citizens of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Graphic Recorders, of which the following is a specification.

'One object of our invention is to provide a novel device for forming an ink record upon a chart by means of pens, theapparatus bein designed to require a minimum of power Ior its operation, and being especially adapted for use in connection with or as part of recording instruments dealing with extremely small quantities of electrical or other energy. 1 H We further desire to 'providea graphic recorder in which one or more records-may "be made upon a chart by a pen and'in which the ink for making records is automatically supplied from a reservoir of novel construction without requiring movement of either the pen or the reservoir for its application.

. WVe also desire to provide a graphic re corder having the above noted characterisf tics with a novel form of pen designed to be capable of forming a plurality of records on a chart for indicating the "variation of two .}.or more quantities. I p ii The invention also contemplates novel means for insuring a continuous ink supply to one or more moving pens, said pens being periodically caused to pass through a thin film of ink and thereafterform arecord on Iaachart with the ink so received.

It is further desired to provide graphic recorders with one or more novel forms of pens whose construction shall be such as to revent the ink from dropping onto the 40.,chart while insuring sufiticient ink to form the record. V

These objects and other advantageous ends we secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying draw- :in s, in which:

igure -1, is a plan .of a portion of a graphic recorder-constructed according to ourinventidn; Fig. 2, isa' sideelevation, artly in section, of the-apparatus shown in fig. 1 Fig. 3, is-a vertical section on the line Fig. 1; and Figs. 4,5 and 6, are perspective viewsof various forms of pens t'which may be used as part of our invention. In the'al'iove drawings, 1 represents a por ss' tion sf the indicator or other movable ele- Specification of Letters Patent.

. we prov de suitable depressing mechanism,

7 cient of the operating mechanism to render supporting structure.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Application filed April 18, 1913. Serial No. 762,084.

ment of an instrument such asa millivoltmeter, and this indicator at its end carries .part ofthe first pen, (though it may be independently mounted on the indicator) and it likewise extends to a point adjacent the end-of saidindicator where italso is bent downwardly at right angles to form a 'recording portion or stylus 6; Both the pens, are preferably made of spring wireor other material of suitable composition and are so formed and mounted that their downwardly turned ends are guided by the forked or perforatedend portion of the indicator. :7

A chart 7, which may be any of the-forms Y of record receiving materials or structuresf known to the art, is shown in the present/ instance as a ribbon or web of paper mount-/ ed upon a roller 8 which under operatih conditions is driven at a predetermine speed by any desired or suitable form of mechanism (not shown). Said chart '7 is passed around or rests upon the roller 8 and is kept taut by weights 9 in the form of clips hung to its two end'si' For periodically causing the pens to engage the web orchart 7 such for example, as that shown in an application for patent filed by Charles B.T hwing No. 755,943, on March 21, 1913.

In Figs. 1 and 2, we have illustrated suflithe action of our invention intelligible, and

in these figures, 10 7 represents a ratchet wheel driven at a suitable speed by a clock or other mechanism, and having teeth 10* and 10 which are alternately high and low relatively to each other. Cooperating with this ratchet wheel is a tooth 12 forming part of-alever 11 pivoted at 13 to any suitable To that arm of the lever on the opposite side of the pivotfrom the toOthlE is connected one end of a'link 14, whose second end is attached to anarm 15 forming part of or connected to a" priinary depressor 16, extending under a U- shaped body of'wire 17 constituting a sec-' ondary depressor. The design of this secondary de ressor issuch that its central portion ex ends above the indicator 1 and the two pens 2 and 3, so as to be capable of engaging and forcing the latter down-g wardlyat any point of their possible path of movement. For su plying ink to 'the pens, we provide a pla e 18 mounted in a substantially horizontal pla'neand having, usually adjacent one end, a depression or other form of reservoir 19 from one side of which extends a downwardly tapering slot 20, curved or otherwise shaped to-conform to the path of movement of the end portions 5 and 6 of the two-pens. The plate is so mounted that this slot 20- lies immediately under said pens and it is to be understood that although it tapers downwardly, it is' open atthe bottom from a point adjacent where it enters the ink Well or reservoir 19 to its opposite end. Moreover, the. slot as well as thelopening in its bottom gradually decreases in width outwardly trom the ink well, and with such a construction, if ink of suitable composition be delivered to the reservoir 19, it may be drawn or'caused to flow from one end of the slot to the other in the shape of a thin film which, spans the'opening in the bottom of the S10 Under conditions of operation, the indicator 1 of the instrument whose performance it is desired to record, ,oscillates over the plate 18 and over the top portion .of the chart 7, with theportions 5 and 6 of the pens preferably immediately above the ink film of the slot 20. If the ratchet wheel be driven as above noted, the lever 11 is caused to oscillate on its pivotby reason of thealternate raising and'dropping of its tooth l2, and each time said tooth rides upon one of the smaller teeth 10, the link 14 is drawn. downwardly with the bar forming the primary depressor 16 so that the secondary depressor 17is allowed to fall under the action of gravity from the position shown'at 17" to that shown at 17". As a result the uppermost of the needles 2 is forced downwardly and its end 5 in-passing through the film of ink'in the slot 20, collects sufficient of said ink to make a isible record when it is brought into engagement with the surface of the chart 7. The dropping off of the tooth 12 from one of the lower teethlO of the ratchet wheel then causes the link 14 to be raised and with; it the primaryde pressor 16, thus also raising the secondary depressor 17 and permittingthe pen 5 to rise by reason of its spr nglngnature or support. Immediatelythereafterthe tooth 12 of the leyer 11 IldBS' u on one of the higher teeth 10 of the rate at wheel 10 so i that the link 14 and primary depressor 16 are drawn downward for adistance greater than that occuring inthe first instance, thus causing the secondary depressor 3:7 to first "rent flowin the circuit includin move the part 5 of the pen through the ink film onto the chart, and thereafter to similarly move the part 6 of the pen 3. There -is thus formed a record which consists of a single dot, and thereafter there is formed a second record consisting of two dots side by side or one in front of the other, depending on the arrangement and design of the pens. As before, when the tooth 12 of the lever 11 drops off of the higher actuating tooth 10", the link 14 and both depressors are raised from the position shown in full lines at 1'1.

We have found that by capillary attraction, the ink flows from the reservoir 19 into the slot as it is used by the pens or evaporates, and note that it is advisable to taper the said slot 20 and particularly the opening in its bottom, from the reservoir 19 to its end, since under the action of the above force, theink in the film tends to flow from a broad opening or long span to a shorter span or narrower opening.

One of the prime advantages of the construction above described is its extreme simplicity and small consumption of power, the particular combination above described being especially applicable to that form of apparatus in which an electrical instrument is alternately and automatically connected in circuit with two different sources of ourrent, the indicator in each instance immediately taking up a position corresponding. to the quantity of-current then flowing through the instrument, The operation of the ratchet wheel 10 is so timed that the secondary depressor is allowed to descend im-- the'mechanism for actuating the indicator 1 forms no part of the present i'nvention,hav-

ing been described-and claimed in a patent granted to Charles B. Y Thwingon December .10,1912,No. 1,046,680.-'

' While the form of .pen shown in Fig. 2 has its chart engaging points "so arranged that theymake dots side byside, we may of course employ a pen having but a single chart engaging point such as that indicated one oi the 7 at 2 in Fig. 4. This single pen is fixed to as shown in Fig. 6.

the indicator 1 of any desired instrument and is preferably guided by the forked end thereof in the same manner in which the two pen points are guided in'that form of our invention shown in Fig. 2. In order to prevent the possibility of any of the pens shown in the drawings collectin a small drop to run down and fall on the chart, we may provide its point with a spur 21 whose point diverges from and terminates above the extremity of said point By this means the above possibility. is avoided since the ink is retained by capillary action from passing in a mass below the diverging end of the spur. In order to regulate the amount of ink gathered by the pen as it passes through the film and deposited by it on the chart, e may if desired, provide means whereby the distance of the film carrying plate 18 from the film may be varied, and while such means may take any of a number of forms, we have shown in Figs. 1 and '2, supporting brackets 22 carrying screws 23 provided with adjustable nuts 24 on which the chart 18 is mounted. By regulating the positi'onsof the nuts on the screws, the distance from the chart of said plate with its in llrl film may be increased or diminished at "1 1. The combination ina graphic recorder of a chart; a pen; and means independent of the pen for producing a film of ink for supplying said pen; with means for causing the pen to transfer limited amounts of ink from the film to the chart to form records thereon.

2. The combination in a graphic recorder of a chart; a pen; means for producing a film of ink in the path of movement of the pen; and means for causing said pen to periodically pass through the ink film into engagement with the chart.

3. The combination in a graphic recorder of a chart; a plate having a slot therethrough'; means for supplyingink .to saidslot to form a film across the same; a pen; and means for periodically causing said pen to pass through the ink film into engagement with the chart.- v

4. The combination in a graphic recorder of a charti a plate having a longitudinally tapering slot therethrough; means for supplying ink to the widest portion of said slot to form afilm across the same: and a pen mounted to pass through the ink film into engagement with the chart;

5. The combination in a'gi'aphic recorder of a chart; a plate having a longitudinally tapering slot therethrough; means for supsuch a quantity of ink from the film as will permit plying ink to the widest part of the slot to form a filmacross the same; a pen; and means for periodically causing the pen to pass through said slot into engagement with the chart. 6. The combination in a graphic recorder of means for providinga capillary film. of ink; a movable pen capable of passing through said ink film; and means for receiving a record from the pen. 7. The combination in a graphic recorder of a structure provided with an elongated slot tapering in width from one end to the other; an ink well in communicationwith the wider end of said slot; means for supporting a chart adjacent said structure; and a pen capable of passing through the slot into engagement with a chart carried by the .for supporting a chart adjacent'the plate; a pen; and means for causing said pen to pass through the film of ink into engagement with a chart carried by said supporting means. v

9. The combination in a graphic recorder of a structure having a downwardlytapering slot therethrough; means for supplying ink to said slot .to form. a film across the same; means for supporting a chart adjacent the plate; and a pen mounted to pass through the ink film into engagement wit the chart to form a record thereon.

10. The combination in a graphic re corder of a chart supporting device; a pen having an ink retaining spur from its point; means forsupplying ink to the pen; and means for causing the pen to engage a chart on said supporting device.

11. The combination in a graphic rc-' corder'of a chart supporting structure; a structure mounted thereon and having an open slot; means for supplying ink to said slot to'form a capillary film across the some; a pen mounted to pass through the slot into engagement with a chart carried by Said device and means for varying the distance between the structure having the inkfilm and the chart to vary the amount of ink delivered to the latter by the pen.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY FALTERMAYEB. CHARLES B. THWING.

\Vitrgssgmn as F. C. Max:222!- diverging 

